Information processing device, information processing system, and program

ABSTRACT

There is provided an information processing device including a control unit to generate play event information based on a determination whether detected behavior of a user is a predetermined play event.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

The present application is a national phase entry under 35 U.S.C. § 371of International Application No. PCT/JP2013/001310 filed Mar. 4, 2013,published on Sep. 19, 2013 as WO 2013/136712 A1, which claims priorityfrom Japanese Patent Application No. JP 2012-058421, filed in theJapanese Patent Office on Mar. 15, 2012 the entire disclosure of whichis hereby incorporated herein by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to an information processing device, aninformation processing system, and a program.

BACKGROUND ART

In order to excel at sports, it is important to objectively analyze auser's own plays and play with consciousness of improvement. Therefore,for example, processes of recording plays as still images or movingimages, viewing the still images or the moving images after the plays,and comprehending improvements or the like have been widely performed.Somebody other than the user photographs the still images or the movingimages in some cases. However, in many other cases, the user photographshimself or herself, that is, performs so-called self-photographing.

In such cases, for example, when portions in which a specific user isimaged or portions in which the user plays a specific action can beextracted from the contents of the still images or the moving images,the user can review the plays in a short time to comprehendimprovements. That is, when scenes desired by the user can be detectedautomatically from the contents, searchability of the contents can beimproved and the contents can be efficiently utilized for proficiency ofthe plays.

A technology for automatically detecting scenes desired by a user fromcontents has already been suggested for commercial contents such asrelay broadcast of professional sports. For example, Patent Literature 1discloses a technology for automatically detecting scenes (highlightscenes) interesting users by learning which is based on feature amountsof images or sounds of contents.

Citation List Patent Literature

[PTL 1]

JP 2011-223287A

SUMMARY Technical Problem

However, it is not easy to apply the technology disclosed in PatentLiterature 1 to contents photographed by a user for the proficiency ofsports of the user himself or herself. For example, in the case ofcontents of a soccer match, according to the above-mentioned technology,the feature amounts of images indicating the lines of a field or thetrajectories of a ball or the feature amounts of sounds indicatingwhistles or exultant shouts are extracted and learned to detecthighlight scenes. In a case of contents photographed by a user, however,the contents are photographed at various playing places and there are nowhistles or exultant shouts in many cases. Further, for example, thecontents may include clearly unnecessary scenes such as a scene in whicha user goes to gather balls that have left a court. Accordingly,learning the feature amounts is more difficult and less efficient thanin commercial contents.

Therefore, for example, a technology for detecting scenes desired by auser is necessary for contents photographed by a user for proficiency ofsports of the user himself or herself in accordance with a methoddifferent from that of the above-mentioned technology. Accordingly, thepresent disclosure provides a novel and improved information processingdevice, a novel and improved information processing system, and a noveland improved program that enables users to comprehend play states ofsports with more accuracy.

Solution to Problem

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, there is providedan information processing device including a control unit to generateplay event information based on a determination whether detectedbehavior of a user is a predetermined play event.

Further, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, there isprovided a system including a sensor device to acquire sensorinformation indicating behavior of a user; and a control unit togenerate play event information based on a determination whetherdetected behavior of a user is a predetermined play event.

Further, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, there isprovided an information processing method including generating, by aprocessor, play event information based on a determination whetherdetected behavior of a user is a predetermined play event.

Further, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, there isprovided a non-transitory recording medium recorded with a programexecutable by a computer, the program including generating play eventinformation based on a determination whether detected behavior of a useris a predetermined play event.

In the present technology, play events are defined as units of actionshaving meaning in sports plays. Although this will be described indetail, for example, in tennis, “movements in a court,” “swings,”“jumps,” “hitting a ball,” and the like can be defined as the playevents. When occurrence of the play events is detected and play eventinformation corresponding to the detected play events is generated, forexample, the play states of the sports played by users can becomprehended as units of actions having some meaning for the users.

Advantageous Effects of Invention

According to the embodiments of the present disclosure described above,users are able to comprehend the play states of the sports played by theusers with more accuracy.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating the overview of an informationprocessing system according to a first embodiment of the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an installation example of an imagingdevice according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating the schematic functionalconfigurations of a sensor device and an imaging device according to thefirst embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of play event detectionaccording to the first embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of play event informationgenerated in the first embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of the detailed informationof a play event generated in the first embodiment of the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of setting of types ofswings as the detailed information of a play event generated in thefirst embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a use example of the play eventinformation according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an example of the flow of a process ofimaging a play image in an interval of a predetermined play eventaccording to the first embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of the flow of a process ofsetting a chapter in a captured moving image according to the firstembodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating the overview of a system according toa second embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 12 is a block diagram illustrating the schematic functionalconfigurations of a sensor device and a notification device according tothe second embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating examples of a notification DB set inthe second embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating an example of the flow of a process ofproviding notification information to a user according to the secondembodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configurationof the sensor device according to an embodiment of the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 16 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configurationof an information processing device according to an embodiment of thepresent disclosure.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present disclosure will bedescribed in detail with reference to the appended drawings. Note that,in this specification and the appended drawings, structural elementsthat have substantially the same function and structure are denoted withthe same reference numerals, and repeated explanation of thesestructural elements is omitted.

The description will be made in the following order.

1. First Embodiment

1-1. System Configuration

1-2. Device Configuration

1-3. Example of Play Event Detection

1-4. Example of Play Event Information

1-5. Use Example of Play Event Information

1-6. Example of Processing Flow

1-7. Summary of Embodiment

2. Second Embodiment

2-1. System Configuration

2-2. Device Configuration

2-3. Example of Notification DB

2-4. Example of Processing Flow

2-5. Summary of Embodiment

3. Third Embodiment

4. Other Embodiments

5. Hardware Configuration

6. Supplement

1. First Embodiment

First, a first embodiment of the present disclosure will be describedwith reference to FIGS. 1 to 10. In the first embodiment of the presentdisclosure, play event information is used in imaging of play images orsetting of additional information.

(1-1. System Configuration)

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating the overview of an informationprocessing system according to the first embodiment of the presentdisclosure. An information processing system 10 includes a sensor device100, an imaging device 200, and a server 300.

(Sensor Device)

The sensor device 100 is mounted on a user who is playing a sport or asports implement which a user uses. When the sensor device 100 ismounted on a user, for example, the sensor device 100 with a braceletshape may be directly mounted on the body of the user, as in thedrawing. Further, when the sensor device 100 is mounted on a sportsimplement (for example, a racket, clothing, shoes, or a wristband in acase of tennis), the sensor device 100 may be wound around a shaftportion or the like, may be stitched or attached to a cloth, or may beincluded in advance within the implement.

Here, the sensor device 100 acquires sensor information indicating abehavior of the user who is playing a sport. The behavior of the userindicated by the sensor information may be, for example, a physicalmotion (position, velocity, acceleration, or the like) of the user orthe implement. For example, the sensor device 100 includes at least onesensor to acquire the sensor information. The sensor detects, forexample, acceleration, angular velocity, vibration, temperature, time,or a position (for example, a position on a surface of the groundindicated by latitude and longitude or a relative position correspondingto a court or the like). For example, the sensor device 100 transmitsthe sensor information acquired in this way to the imaging device 200.

(Imaging Device)

The imaging device 200 images a sports play image. The play image is animage in which a user who is playing a sport is shown at least in aportion thereof and may be a still image or a moving image. For example,the imaging device 200 is installed on the periphery of a court or thelike in which the user is playing the sport and images a play image. Atthis time, the imaging device 200 detects occurrence of a play event inthe sport which the user is playing based on the sensor informationreceived from the sensor device 100, generates play event informationcorresponding to the play event in the sport, and controls the imagingof the play image based on the play event information. The imagingdevice 200 may upload the captured play image to the server 300.

Here, for example, the imaging device 200 determines at least one of thestart and end of the imaging of the play image based on the play eventinformation. Thus, for example, the play image including only a scene ofa play event designated in advance by the user can be generated. Forexample, the imaging device 200 sets additional information such aschapter information to the play image based on the play eventinformation. Thus, for example, when the user views the play image, theuser can easily search for the scene of a desired play event.

The plurality of imaging devices 200 may be installed. In theillustrated example, three imaging devices 200 a to 200 c are installed.In this case, play images captured by the imaging device 200 a to 200 cmay be selected based on the play event information. More specifically,for example, the imaging devices 200 a to 200 c may each receive thesensor information from the sensor device 100, generate the play eventinformation, and control the imaging of the play images based on theplay event information. Further, one of the imaging devices 200 a to 200c may receive the sensor information from the sensor device 100, serveas a host, and control the imaging of the other devices. Thus, forexample, the play image is captured by the imaging device 200 located atthe most suitable angle with respect to each play event. Alternatively,an image captured at the most suitable angle with respect to each playevent is selected from the play images captured by the imaging devices200.

The imaging device 200 may also, for example, image a court or the likein which a sport is being played in a panoramic way, as in the imagingdevice 200 a in the illustrated example. In this case, the imagingdevice 200 a can also function as a sensor device. For example, theimaging device 200 a may provide a captured image or positioninformation of a user court or the like obtained by analyzing an imageas the sensor information to the imaging devices 200 b and 200 c.

In the above-mentioned example, three imaging devices 200 are installed.However, in other embodiments, one imaging device 200 may be installed,or two imaging devices or four or more imaging devices may be installed.

(Server Device)

The server 300 can acquire the play images captured by the imagingdevices 200 as videotaped contents. The server 300 may store theacquired play images and provide the play images when a client 400downloads the play images. Thus, a user can view the play images of theuser himself or herself in his or her house or the like after the play.Of the functions of the above-described imaging device 200, thefunctions other than the function of practically capturing the playimages may be performed by the server 300 instead. That is, the servermay communicate not only the imaging devices 200 but also the sensordevice 100 and control the imaging devices 200 based on the sensorinformation received from the sensor device 100.

(Example of Method of Installing Imaging Device)

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an installation example of an imagingdevice according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. Inthis embodiment, as described above, the imaging device 200 thatcaptures an image of the user who is playing a sport is installed. Theimaging device 200 may be, for example, a digital camera fixed to acradle, as in an imaging device 200 a 1 shown in the drawing. Further,the imaging device 200 such as a portable telephone (smart phone) havingan imaging function may be a device fixed to a cradle, as in the shownimaging device 200 a 2. Furthermore, the imaging device 200 may be anomnidirectional camera module such as an imaging device 200 a 3 shown inthe drawing.

For example, in tennis, the imaging device 200 may be mounted on asupport pillar of a court, as shown in the drawing. Since the relativeposition of the imaging device with respect to the court of the supportpillar is determined, it is relatively easy to identify the position ofa player within the court from the image captured by the imaging device200 mounted on the support pillar. Further, when the imaging device 200uses a wide-angle lens or is an omnidirectional camera such as theimaging device 200 a 3, the entire surface of the court can be capturedin a panoramic way by mounting the imaging device on the support pillar.

Thus, by appropriately disposing the imaging device 200, the result of ahit ball can be determined or a motion of a player can be determinedwith analysis of a moving image. An image acquired by the imaging device200 or information regarding an analysis result of the image may be usedas the sensor information indicating a behavior of a user by the imagingdevice 200 that detects a play event.

(1-2. Device Configuration)

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating the schematic functionalconfigurations of the sensor device and the imaging device according tothe first embodiment of the present disclosure.

(Sensor Device)

The sensor device 100 includes a sensor 110, a preprocessing unit 120,and a communication unit 130. A hardware configuration realizing thefunctions will be described later.

The sensor 110 detects, for example, acceleration, angular velocity,vibration, temperature, time, or a position. More specifically, examplesof the sensor 110 may include an acceleration sensor, an angularvelocity sensor, a vibration sensor, a temperature sensor, a clock, anda global positioning system (GPS) receiver. As described above, when theimaging device 200 also function as the sensor device, the sensor 110may be an imaging unit that captures an image to acquire positioninformation in a user court or the like.

The preprocessing unit 120 performs preprocessing on data detected bythe sensor 110. Examples of the preprocessing include amplifying thedetected data and filtering data equal to or less than a thresholdvalue. Further, when the sensor 110 is the imaging unit, thepreprocessing unit 120 may perform image processing to specify theposition of the user. Further, data may not necessarily pass through thepreprocessing unit 120 and be supplied to the communication unit 130depending on a type of sensor 110.

The communication unit 130 is a communication module that transmits thedata provided from the preprocessing unit 120 (or the sensor 110) assensor information to the imaging device 200. When the sensorinformation is transmitted, for example, wireless communication is used.The communication method is not particularly limited. For example, whenthe imaging device 200 is located near the sensor device 100, Bluetooth(registered trademark), a wireless local area network (LAN), or the likecan be used. Further, when the imaging device 200 is separated from thesensor device 100 or transmits the sensor information to the server 300,the Internet or the like may be used.

(Imaging Device)

The imaging device 200 includes a communication unit 210, an analyzingunit 220, a control unit 230, and an imaging unit 240. A hardwareconfiguration realizing the functions will be described later.

The communication unit 210 is a communication module that receives thesensor information transmitted from the sensor device 100. As describedabove with the sensor device 100, short range wireless communicationsuch as Bluetooth (registered trademark) or a wireless LAN may be usedto transmit and receive the sensor information. The communication unit210 provides the received sensor information to the analyzing unit 220.In this embodiment, the communication unit 210 corresponds to a sensorinformation acquiring unit that acquires the sensor information. Asanother example, the sensor information acquiring unit may be aninterface that internally acquires the sensor information from aseparately installed communication device or another unit of the imagingdevice 200.

The analyzing unit 220 analyzes the sensor information provided from thecommunication unit 210 and provides the analysis result to the controlunit 230. The analyzing unit 220 includes a play event informationgenerating unit 221. The play event information generating unit 221detects occurrence of a play event in a sport based on the sensorinformation and generate play event information corresponding to theplay event.

Here, as described above, the play event is defined as a unit of anaction having some meaning in the play of a sport. For example, in thecase of tennis, “movements in a court,” “swings,” “jumps,” “hitting aball,” and the like can be defined as the play events. The play eventinformation generating unit 221 detects the occurrence of a play eventdefined in advance by analyzing the sensor information throughmechanical learning, pattern recognition, or the like. Further, the playevent information generating unit 221 adds detailed informationregarding the play event to the play event in which the occurrencethereof is detected, for example, also referring to the sensorinformation, as necessary, and generates the play event information. Aspecific example of the detection of the play event or the play eventinformation will be described later.

The control unit 230 controls the operation of the imaging device 200based on the play event information which is the analysis resultprovided from the analyzing unit 220. In this embodiment, the controlunit 230 includes an imaging control unit 231 and a chapter setting unit232.

The imaging control unit 231 controls imaging the play image captured bythe imaging unit 240 based on the play event information. For example,the imaging control unit 231 determines at least one of start and end ofthe imaging of the play image as a moving image captured by the imagingunit 240 based on the play event information. More specifically, whenoccurrence of a predetermined play event is detected, the imagingcontrol unit 231 controls the imaging unit 240 such that the play imageis captured in the interval of the predetermined play event.

The imaging control unit 231 may select the play images captured by theplurality of imaging devices based on the play event information. Whenthe play images are captured by the plurality of imaging devices 200, asdescribed above, the imaging control unit 231 of each imaging device 200may cause the imaging unit 240 to capture the play image when the angleof the imaging device itself is suitable for the detected play event.Further, the imaging control unit 231 of one of the imaging devices 200may control the imaging units 240 of the other imaging devices 200 suchthat the imaging device 200 located at the most suitable angle withrespect to the play event captures the play image. Alternatively, theimaging control unit 231 of one of the imaging devices 200 may select animage at the most suitable angle with respect to each play event fromthe play images captured by the imaging devices 200.

On the other hand, the chapter setting unit 232 sets chapter informationcorresponding to the play event to the play image captured by theimaging unit 240 based on the play event information. The chapterinformation is information that defines a reproduction interval of amoving image based on, for example, a reproduction time, when the playimage is the moving image. By setting the chapter information, the usercan skip or return to the reproduction in a chapter unit when the userviews the play image. Accordingly, the user can jump to a desired playevent portion or repeatedly view a desired play event portion.

In this embodiment, the chapter setting unit 232 corresponds to anadditional information setting unit that sets additional information tothe play image. As another example, the additional information settingunit may add, to the play image, information used to display a captionshowing a specific play event in the interval corresponding to thespecific play event of the play image or an interval previous to thisinterval. For example, when the play image is a still image, theadditional information setting unit may add, to the still image,information regarding a caption showing the play event.

The imaging unit 240 includes an imaging element or lens that capturesan image and a driving circuit. The imaging unit 240 captures the playimage under the control of the control unit 230. For example, data ofthe captured play image may be transmitted from the communication unit210 to the server 300 (not shown in FIG. 2). Alternatively, the data ofthe captured play image may be stored in a storage unit of the imagingdevice 200.

(1-3. Example of Play Event Detection)

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of play event detectionaccording to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. In theillustrated example, the play event information generating unit 221 ofthe imaging device 200 detects a tennis swing using vibration of aracket used by the user as the sensor information.

In the illustrated example, the swing includes actions of take-back,forward-swing, impact, post-impact, and follow-through. In thisembodiment, a play event “swing” is defined as a series of actions fromthe take-back to the follow-through. As shown in the exemplary vibrationwaveform, the vibration of the racket is generated in the action of theimpact and is attenuated during the action of the post-impact.

In this case, the play event information generating unit 221 firstdetects the vibration of the racket generated in the interval of theimpact based on sensor information of the vibration sensor (the sensor110) included in the sensor device 100 mounted on the racket. The playevent information generating unit 221 specifies that the vibrationrepresents a swing in consideration of the attenuated waveform of thesubsequent vibration. That is, here, the play event informationgenerating unit 221 detects that the play event “swing” is generated.

The play event information generating unit 221 determines the vibrationgeneration start point as a start point of an impact, determines theinterval of 3 to 5 milliseconds from the start point as the impact, anddefines the intervals of the take-back, the forward-swing, the postimpact, and the follow-through before and after the impact. All of theintervals are the interval of the play event “swing.” The play eventinformation generating unit 221 may include the start time and the endtime of the interval in the play event information to be describedbelow.

Here, the length of each of the intervals of the take-back, theforward-swing, the impact, the post-impact, and the follow-through maybe set in advance based on, for example, the data of a general swing.The setting value may be, for example, a fixed value or may be arelative value in accordance with the amplitude or length of thevibration.

(1-4. Example of Play Event Information)

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of the play eventinformation generated in the first embodiment of the present disclosure.In the illustrated example, the play event information includes a sensordevice ID, a start time, an end time, a play event type, and detailedinformation.

The sensor device ID is information used to identify the sensor device100 that transmits the sensor information basically used to detect theplay event. For example, when a plurality of players each mount thesensor device 100 and the sensor information indicating behaviors of theplurality of users is received by the communication unit 210, the usercorresponding to the play event can be specified by identifying thesensor device 100 based on the sensor device ID. For example, the mediaaccess control (MAC) address or the like of the sensor device 100 may beused as ID information. Further, when only one sensor device 100 ispresent, the information regarding the sensor device ID may be omitted.

Information regarding the start time and the end time is used to specifythe times of the start and the end of the play event. For example, whena play event of the “swing” shown in FIG. 4 occurs, the times of thestart point of the take-back and the end point of the follow-through canbe recorded as the start time and the end time, respectively. Since theplay event can occur in units of seconds or milliseconds as in thisexample, the start time and the end time are recorded at least in unitsof seconds and are preferably recorded in units of milliseconds. Forexample, the start time and the end time may be specified based on timeinformation added when the sensor device 100 transmits the sensorinformation or may be specified based on time information added when theimaging device 200 receives the sensor information.

The play event type is information that indicates a type of play event.The detailed information includes detailed data for each play event. Forexample, in the case of tennis, the types of play events such as“movement in a court,” “swing,” “jump,” and “hitting a ball” can be set.In this case, for example, a plurality of types of play events such asactions of “swing” while “jumping” and “hitting a ball” are set inoverlapping intervals in some cases. Further, the types of play eventscan be set variously in accordance with sports items or a preference ofa player.

The detailed information is information that describes the contents ofeach play event in more detail. Examples of the detailed informationwill be described continuously with reference to FIG. 6.

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating examples of the detailed information ofthe play events generated in the first embodiment of the presentdisclosure. In the illustrated example, the detailed information whichcan be set in the play event information is shown for four types of playevents, a “movement in a court,” a “swing,” a “jump,” and “hitting aball” occurring in tennis.

For example, when the play event of the “movement in a court” occurs,GPS information (latitude and longitude) is recorded as the detailedinformation. For example, the GPS information may be recorded asinformation indicating the start point and the end point of a movement.Further, the information can be acquired practically, for example, whenthe accuracy of the GPS is improved, for example, using a quasi-zenithsatellite.

Further, in the play event of the “swing,” a type of swing is recordedas the detailed information. The detection of the type of swing will bedescribed later with reference to FIG. 7. In the play event of the“jump,” GPS information (latitude and longitude) is recorded asinformation regarding a position at which the jump is performed. In theplay event of “hitting a ball,” a position at which a ball is hitagainst a racket is recorded as the detailed information. A sweet spotratio (a ratio at which a ball is hit at a sweet spot (which is a spotat which the vibration of the racket is the minimum)) may be calculatedfrom the ball-hit position and may be recorded as the detailedinformation. The ball-hit position can be detected, for example, frominformation regarding the vibration of a racket.

Thus, by setting the detailed information in each play event, detailedcontrol can be performed in accordance with a desire of the user, forexample, when imaging play images is controlled based on the play eventinformation. Further, when additional information regarding the playevent is set to the play image, not only the types of events but alsovarious types of information can be added, and thus, can be valuable,for example, to the proficiency of a sport for the user.

For example, unnecessary play events such as “going to gather balls thathave left a court,” “break,” and “small talk” can also be set as theplay images (for example, to stop capturing a play image in theunnecessary play events or skip the unnecessary play events at the timeof reproducing the play images). For example, the detailed informationmay not be set in such unnecessary play events.

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example in which types of swings areset as the detailed information of a play event generated in the firstembodiment of the present disclosure. In the illustrated example, thesensor device 100 a is mounted on a shaft portion of a racket. Thesensor device 100 a includes a triaxial acceleration sensor that candetect acceleration along each of x, y, and z axes as the sensor 110.

In this case, when a user swings a racket, waveforms unique to the typeof swing are shown in time-series data of the acceleration. For example,the features of a forehand stroke and a serve are shown in the drawing(further, the waveforms shown in the drawing may not necessarily beobserved depending on the position at which the sensor device 100 a ismounted, the performance of the acceleration sensor, or the like). Thetype of swing can be identified by characterizing the time-series dataof the acceleration by a vector and combining the time-series data withan identifying dictionary registered in advance. A method of generalmechanical learning may be used to identify the type of swing. Forexample, the k-NN method or a support vector machine can also be used.Examples of the types of swing include a forehand stroke, a forehandvolley, a forehand slice, a backhand stroke, a backhand slice, abackhand volley, a serve, and a smash.

Thus, the type of swing can be set in the detailed information regardingthe play event “swing.” The detailed information can also includeinformation acquired using various known technologies according to adesire of the user.

(1-5. Use Example of Play Event Information)

FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a use example of the play eventinformation according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure.In the illustrated example, User A and User B play tennis User A andUser B both mount the sensor device 100. One imaging device 200 imagesplay situations as play images.

In this case, for example, the imaging device 200 can generate playevent information at each chance of a swing of each of User A and UserB. In the drawing, the generated play event information is shown in atime series for each of User A and User B. Swings described in the playevents are types of swings specified as the detailed information.

By setting the play event information for each user, for example, theplays of User A and User B can be extracted or searched for from theplay images in which the plays of User A and User B are alternatelyphotographed. Further, by setting the types of swings as the detailedinformation, for example, scenes in which the strokes (which may bevolleys, serves, or the like) are photographed can be extracted orsearched for irrespective of User A and User B. Furthermore, when otherdetailed information such as a position at which a ball is hit is set inthe play event “swing,” the scenes of the play images can be extractedor searched for based on other detailed information.

(1-6. Example of Processing Flow)

(Imaging Control)

FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an example of the flow of a process ofimaging a play image in an interval of a predetermined play eventaccording to the first embodiment of the present disclosure.

First, the sensor 110 of the sensor device 100 detects a behavior of theuser (step S101). Here, a detection value can be, for example, ameasurement value of an acceleration sensor, an angular velocity sensor,a vibration sensor, or the like or position information (latitude andlongitude) received by GPSs.

Next, the preprocessing unit 120 determines whether the detection valuedetected by the sensor 110 is equal to or greater than a predeterminedthreshold value (step S103). For example, when the detection value is ameasurement value of an acceleration sensor, an angular velocity sensor,a vibration sensor, or the like, the preprocessing unit 120 maydetermine whether the magnitude, amplitude, or the like of themeasurement value is equal to or greater than the threshold value. Thedetection value used for the determination may be subjected to apredetermined amplification process. On the other hand, when thedetection value is position information received by GPSs, thepreprocessing unit 120 may compare previous position information tonewly detected position information and determine whether a distancebetween the previous position information and the newly detectedposition information is equal to or greater than the predeterminedthreshold value.

When it is determined in step S103 that the detection value is equal toor greater than the predetermined threshold value, the communicationunit 130 transmits the sensor information to the imaging device 200.Here, not only the detection value detected in step S101 but also adetection value obtained by another sensor or time information may beadded to the transmitted sensor information. For example, when anacceleration sensor serving as the sensor 110 detects a value equal toor greater than the predetermined value, not only a detection valuedetected by the acceleration sensor but also the position of the useracquired by a GPS receiver or information to which time information atthe time of acquiring the detection value is added may be transmittedfrom the communication unit 130 to the imaging device 200.

Conversely, when it is determined in step S103 that the detection valueis not equal to or greater than the predetermined threshold value, thecommunication unit 130 does not transmit the sensor information and thesensor device 100 returns to detect a behavior of the user again (stepS101). Thus, when it is determined that the detection value is not equalto or greater than the threshold value, the sensor information is nottransmitted, and consequently the power of the sensor device 100consumed in the communication can be saved. Further, by transmitting nounnecessary sensor information, the analysis processing load of theimaging device 200 can be prevented from increasing unnecessarily.

Next, the communication unit 210 of the imaging device 200 receives thesensor information transmitted from the sensor device 100 (step S107).The communication unit 210 provides the received sensor information tothe analyzing unit 220. When the time information has not yet been addedto the sensor information in the sensor device 100, the time informationmay be added at this time.

Next, the play event information generating unit 221 of the analyzingunit 220 determines whether an effective play event occurs from thereceived sensor information (step S109). In this embodiment, asdescribed above, the play event information generating unit 221recognizes the feature of the sensor information for the predefined playevent, and thus detects occurrence of the play event from the sensorinformation based on the feature.

Further, the “effective play event” mentioned here does not merely meana predefined play event, but may mean a play event designated aseffective among play events. For example, in a tennis, a play event“going to gather balls out of a court” may be defined, but is not aneffective play event, for example, for a user who views the photographedimages. Accordingly, the play event information generating unit 221 maydetect the occurrence of the predefined play event “going to gatherballs out of a court” from the feature of the sensor information, butmay determine that this play event is not an effective play event.

When it is determined in step S109 that the effective play event occurs,the imaging control unit 231 of the control unit 230 causes the imagingunit 240 to start capturing play images from the start time of the playevent (step S111). Here, a time difference between the actual start ofthe play event to the detection of the occurrence of the play event maybe considered. In this case, the imaging unit 240 may continue theimaging and temporarily record the captured images in a buffer memoryand the imaging control unit 231 may record the images after the starttime of the play event among the images stored in the buffer memory asthe play images.

For example, it is assumed that play event “swing” is detected at thetiming of “impact” mentioned in the example of FIG. 4. In this case, theimaging control unit 231 traces back up to the intervals of the “forwardswing” and the “take-back” defined beforehand, using the time of the“impact” as a reference, and records the images stored in the buffermemory.

Thereafter, the imaging control unit 231 causes the imaging unit 240 toend the imaging of the play images at the end time of the play event(step S113). For example, the end of the play event may be determinedbased on the sensor information, as in step S101 to step S109 describedabove. Alternatively, a time after a predetermined time from the startof the play event may be specified as the end of the play eventaccording to the type or the like of play event.

(Chapter Setting)

FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of the flow of a process ofsetting a chapter in a captured moving image according to the firstembodiment of the present disclosure.

In this example, the steps (step S101 to step S109) of detecting theplay event are the same as those described above with reference to FIG.9.

When it is determined in step S109 that an effective play event occurs,the chapter setting unit 232 of the control unit 230 records a chapterattribute indicating the start of the play event at the positioncorresponding to the start time of the play event of the play imagecaptured by the imaging unit 240 (step S211).

Thereafter, the chapter setting unit 232 records a chapter attributeindicating the end of the play event at the position corresponding tothe end time of the play event of the captured play image (step S213).For example, the end of the play event may be determined based on thesensor information, as in step S101 to step S109 described above.Alternatively, a time after a predetermined time from the start of theplay event may be specified as the end of the play event according tothe type or the like of play event.

(1-7. Summary of Embodiment)

The first embodiment of the present disclosure has been described. Inthis embodiment, for example, by controlling the imaging of the playimages by the imaging device 200 in accordance with the play eventinformation generated based on the sensor information, desired playimages can be captured without a user being burdened with an operationof controlling the imaging in a case of so-called self-imaging or thelike. When a play event is desired to be reviewed as an effective playevent, the play images in which only desired portions are extracted inadvance can be automatically generated. Further, even when this settingis not performed, clearly unnecessary scenes such as gathering balls canbe automatically excluded from the play images. Thus, since the volumeof all the play images is reduced, a communication time can beshortened, for example, when the play images are uploaded from theimaging device 200 to the server 300.

For example, by setting a chapter or the like in an image captured bythe imaging device 200 in accordance with the information regarding theplay event detected from the sensor information, a search property ofthe generated play images is considerably improved. Further, since thechapter is set in accordance with the play event, it is easy toreproduce only desired portions of the play of the user himself orherself, when the user views the play images.

In this embodiment described above, tennis has mainly been described asan example, but the sport is not limited to tennis. This embodiment isapplicable to, for example, baseball. In the case of baseball, forexample, the sensor device 100 can be mounted on a user himself orherself or an implement such as a bat or a glove. The play images arecaptured to correspond to a detected play event or a chapter is set, asin the above-described example of tennis. In the case of baseball, sincea chance for one user to do plays is restricted in both offense anddefense, it is possible to obtain the great advantage of easilyextracting and searching for a desired scene by applying thisembodiment.

This embodiment is applicable to a batting center or a golf practicefield. For example, mounting the sensor device 100 on a hittingimplement such as a bat or a golf club, identifying a shot suitable as aplay event and a shot unsuitable as a play event, and extracting amoving image of the suitable shot and providing it to a user can beconsidered.

This embodiment is not limited to the above-mentioned examples, but isuseful for all situations of sports for which there is a possibility fora user to review images of plays of the user himself or herself.

2. Second Embodiment

Next, a second embodiment of the present disclosure will be describedwith reference to FIGS. 11 to 14. In the second embodiment of thepresent disclosure, play event information is used to notify a user ofinformation regarding a play.

(2-1. System Configuration)

FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating the overview of a system according toa second embodiment of the present disclosure. An information processingsystem 20 includes a sensor device 500 and a notification device 600.

The sensor device 500 is mounted on a user who plays a sport, as in thesensor device 100 described above in the first embodiment. The sensordevice 500 acquires sensor information and transmits the sensorinformation to the notification device 600, and also receivesnotification information from the notification device 600 and outputsthe notification information to the user.

The notification device 600 generates play event information from thesensor information provided from the sensor device 500, generatesnotification information for the user based on the play eventinformation, and transmits the notification information to the sensordevice 500. The notification device 600 generates the play eventinformation in the same way as the imaging device 200 described above inthe first embodiment. The notification device 600 may be any device, aslong as the device has a communication function and an informationprocessing function. In the illustrated example, a portable telephone(smart phone) is used as the notification device 600.

(2-2. Device Configuration)

FIG. 12 is a block diagram illustrating the schematic functionalconfigurations of a sensor device and a notification device according tothe second embodiment of the present disclosure.

(Sensor Device)

The sensor device 500 includes a sensor 110, a preprocessing unit 120, acommunication unit 530, and a notification output unit 540. A hardwareconfiguration realizing the functions will be described later. Since thesensor 110 and the preprocessing unit 120 are the same as thosedescribed above in the first embodiment, the detailed descriptionthereof will not be repeated.

The communication unit 530 has substantially the same configuration asthe communication unit 130 described in the first embodiment. However,the communication unit 530 is different in that the communication unit530 is used not only to transmit the sensor information to thenotification device 600 but also to receive the notification informationfrom the notification device 600.

The notification output unit 540 outputs the notification informationreceived by the communication unit 530 to the user. For example, thenotification output unit 540 may include a speaker 541 and a displaydevice 542. The speaker 541 outputs the notification information as asound to the user. The display device 542 outputs the notificationinformation as an image to the user. For example, one of the speaker 541and the display device 542 may be selected and used according to a typeof notification information or both the speaker 541 and the displaydevice 542 may be used together. The notification output unit 540 mayinclude a lighting unit such as an LED lamp or a vibrator that vibratesthe user himself or herself or an implement.

The notification information may not necessarily be output from thesensor device 500 and may be output by a separate display device orspeaker. A method of outputting the notification information from thesensor device 500 is reasonable in consideration of the fact that thereare many scenes in which the user individually plays a sport asapplication scenes of this embodiment.

(Notification Device)

The notification device 600 includes a communication unit 610, ananalyzing unit 220, a notification information generating unit 650, anotification DB 660, and a registration unit 670. A hardwareconfiguration realizing the functions will be described later. Since theanalyzing unit 220 has the same configuration as the configurationdescribed above in the first embodiment, the detailed configurationthereof will not be repeated.

The communication unit 610 has substantially the same configuration asthe communication unit 210 described in the first embodiment. However,the communication unit 610 is different in that the communication unit610 is used not only to receive the sensor information from the sensordevice 500 but also to transmit the notification information to thesensor device 500.

The notification information generating unit 650 generates notificationinformation for the user based on the play event information which is ananalysis result provided from the analyzing unit 220. For example, thenotification information may be information that is registered in thenotification DB 660 in association with the play event in advance by theuser. In this case, the notification information generating unit 650determines whether the occurring play event is a notificationinformation generation target, for example, by matching the types ofplay events. When the play event which is a notification informationgenerating target occurs, the notification information generating unit650 generates the notification information in accordance withinformation registered in the notification DB 660 and transmits thenotification information to the sensor device 500 via the communicationunit 610. The notification information generating unit 650 may use thesensor information received by the communication unit 610 in addition tothe play event information to generate the notification information.Examples of the information registered in the notification DB 660 willbe described later.

The registration unit 670 is an operation input unit that adds orcorrects the information registered in the notification DB 660. Forexample, the registration unit 670 may provide the user with a graphicaluser interface (GUI) used to set the registration contents of thenotification DB 660 by using a display unit or an operation unit of thenotification device 600.

(2-3. Example of Notification DB)

FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating examples of the notification DB set inthe second embodiment of the present disclosure. In the illustratedexample, information regarding three notifications of “remind (serve),”“remind (break),” and “success confirmation” are shown.

For example, the notification of the “remind (serve)” is performed whenthe user fails a serve once and performs the subsequent serve. In thenotification DB 660, for example, the following conditions are set asconditions for specifying this case: (1) a play event “swing” occurs,(2) the “swing type” in the detailed information of the “swing” is a“serve,” (3) the “position at which a ball is hit” in the detailedinformation is a position other than a sweet spot, and (4) the positionof the user shown in the sensor information is continuously located neara service line. When the notification information generating unit 650determines that the above-mentioned conditions are satisfied based onthe play event information and the sensor information, the notificationinformation generating unit 650 transmits notification information usedto output a sound “carefully toss” from the speaker 541 to the sensordevice 500.

Further, the notification of the “remind (break)” is performed when theuser starts playing and continues for 60 minutes. In the notificationDB, for example, the following conditions are set as conditions forspecifying this case: (1) a given play event other than the “break”occurs beforehand, (2) the play event “break” does not occursubsequently, and (3) a predetermined time (60 minutes) passes from theoccurrence of the first play event. When the notification informationgenerating unit 650 determines that the above-mentioned conditions aresatisfied based on the play event information and the sensorinformation, the notification information generating unit 650 causes anLED to blink and transmits notification information used to vibrate thevibrator to the sensor device 500.

Furthermore, the notification of the “success confirmation” is performedwhen the user hits a ball at a sweet spot of a racket at the stroketime. In the notification DB, for example, the following conditions areset as conditions for specifying this case: (1) a play event “swing”occurs, (2) the “swing type” in the detailed information of the “swing”is a “stroke,” and (3) the “position at which a ball is hit” in thedetailed information is a sweet spot. When the notification informationgenerating unit 650 determines that the above-mentioned conditions aresatisfied based on the play event information, the notificationinformation generating unit 650 transmits notification information usedto display text “Good!” on the display device 542 to the sensor device500.

(2-4. Example of Processing Flow)

FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating an example of the flow of a process ofproviding notification information to a user according to the secondembodiment of the present disclosure.

In this example, the steps (step S101 to step S109) of detecting theplay event are the same as those described above with reference to FIG.9 in the first embodiment.

When it is determined in step S109 that an effective play event occurs,the notification information generating unit 650 of the notificationdevice 600 matches the occurring play event with the informationregistered in the notification DB 660 (step S311). In the matching, asdescribed above, not only the information regarding the play eventdetected in step S109 just before but also the information regarding theplay event detected until that time or the sensor information receivedin step S107 can be used.

When the matching with the notification conditions stored in thenotification DB 660 occurs in step S311, the notification informationgenerating unit 650 transmits the notification information to the sensordevice 500 via the communication unit 610 (step S313). Here, thetransmitted notification information can include, for example,notification device information used to specify the device (the speaker541, the display device 542, or the like) used for the notification andnotification action information indicating a specific operation of thenotification.

Next, the communication unit 530 of the sensor device 500 receives thenotification information (step S315). The communication unit 530provides the received notification information to the notificationoutput unit 540. The notification output unit 540 selects an appropriatenotification device based on the provided notification information andexecutes a notification action (step S317).

(2-5. Summary of Embodiment)

The second embodiment of the present disclosure has been described. Inthis embodiment, for example, during the play of the sport, anappropriate notification is provided at the timing intended in advanceby the user. Therefore, the user can conceive improvements or the likeof the play recognized before the play even at a timing of the play atwhich the user is liable to focus on the play.

When the user focuses on the play, the user is liable to forget to takea break. However, for example, when a break is detected as one playevent and the state in which the break is not detected continues for along time, the user is notified of a necessity for a break, and thus anaccident such as a heat-related illness can be prevented.

Thus, in this embodiment, proficiency at a sport or a secure play isrealized by providing appropriate information to the user during theplay of the sport. Accordingly, this embodiment is not limited to theexample of tennis, but is applicable to all sports.

3. Third Embodiment

Next, a third embodiment of the present disclosure will be described. Inthe third embodiment of the present disclosure, play event informationis generated in a sport such as golf that takes place around a course.

In this embodiment, hitting (shot) a ball is detected as a play event,for example, based on the sensor information obtained by detecting thevibration of an implement (golf club or the like) used by the user atthe impact time. For example, position information is set by GPSinformation in the detailed information of the play event “shot.”

For example, it is possible to identify where the shot is performedbased on the position information. Thus, for example, in the case ofgolf, it is possible to identify at which hole the shot is performed,whether the shot is a tee shot, a bunker shot, or the like at a specificposition, whether the shot is a putt on a green, or the like. Forexample, when imaging of play images is controlled or chapterinformation is added to the play images based on the result of theidentification, as in the above-described first embodiment, it is usefulfor the user himself or herself to review the plays subsequently.

Further, a ball flying distance can be calculated as a distance betweenthe positions of the consecutive shots. For example, the play images maybe classified for each ball flying distance or it may be determinedwhether the shot succeeds or fails based on a relation between theposition of the shot and the ball flying distance. Furthermore, an imagein which the trajectory of a ball connecting the positions of the shotsat the same hole is mapped on the map of the golf course may begenerated as notification information, and then the notificationinformation may be suggested to the user.

4. Other Embodiments

In the above-described embodiments, the user himself or herself playinga sport obtains the benefit, since the user reviews the images or thelike of a play of the user himself or herself or the user is notified ofa play of the user himself or herself. However, the embodiments of thepresent disclosure are not limited to the examples.

For example, as in the above-described first embodiment, play images inwhich only the portions of a specific play event are cut or a chapter orthe like is set for each play event may be provided to users other thana user playing a sport, such as parents who send a child to a tennisschool (which may, of course, be a school other than a tennis school, ora club activity or the like rather than a school). In this case, sincethe parents can view or easily search for only the portions in whichtheir child is photographed in the play images, the parents cancomprehend the activities of the child at the school with more accuracyin shorter time.

5. Hardware Configuration

Next, an example of a hardware configuration realizing a sensor deviceand an information processing device (corresponding to an imagingdevice, a notification device, or the like) according to an embodimentof the present disclosure will be described with reference to FIGS. 15and 16.

(Sensor Device)

FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating an example of the hardwareconfiguration of the sensor device according to the embodiment of thepresent disclosure. A sensor device 800 can be realized as a sensordevice according to the embodiment of the present disclosure, such asthe sensor device 100 or the sensor device 500 described above.

The sensor device 800 can include a central processing unit (CPU) 801, aread-only memory (ROM) 802, a random access memory (RAM) 803, avibration sensor and amplifier 804, a user interface 805, an externalstorage device 806, a communication device 807, and an image and soundoutput device 808. The constituent elements are connected to each othervia, for example, a bus.

For example, the CPU 801, the ROM 802, and the RAM 803 read and executeprogram commands recorded in the external storage devices 806 so thatvarious software functions are realized. In the embodiment of thepresent disclosure, for example, the CPU 801, the ROM 802, and the RAM803 can realize control of the entire sensor device 800 or some of thefunctions of the preprocessing unit 120 described in the above-describedexample.

The vibration sensor and amplifier 804 corresponds to the sensor 110 inthe functional configuration described in the above-describedembodiments. The sensor device 800 may further include an accelerationsensor, an angular velocity sensor, a temperature sensor, a clock, or aGPS receiver.

The user interface 805 is an input device, such as a button or a touchpanel, which receives a user's operation on the sensor device 800. Theuser's operation may be, for example, an operation of instructing startor end of transmission of the sensor information from the sensor deviceor an operation of instructing stop of the output of notificationinformation when the notification information is provided.

The external storage device 806 stores various types of informationregarding the sensor device 800. For example, the external storagedevice 806 may store program commands for causing the CPU 801, the ROM802, and the RAM 803 to realize software functions or may temporarilycache data acquired by a sensor such as the vibration sensor andamplifier 804. When the sensor device 800 is considered to be mounted ona user himself or herself or a sports implement, a storage device suchas a semiconductor memory strong against an impact is preferably used asthe external storage device 806.

The communication device 807 corresponds to the communication unit 130or 530 in the functional configuration according to the above-describedembodiments. The communication device 807 communicates with aninformation processing device 900 to be described below by short-rangewireless communication such as Bluetooth (registered trademark) or awireless LAN. Further, when the information processing device 900 is aserver device on a network, the communication device 807 may communicatewith the information processing device 900 via a network such as theInternet.

The image and sound output device 808 may include a device capable ofnotifying a user of acquired information visually or audibly. The imageand sound output device 808 can be a display device such as a liquidcrystal display (LCD) or a sound output device such as a speaker or aheadphone. The image and sound output device 808 corresponds to thenotification output unit 540 in the functional configuration accordingto the above-described embodiment. Further, the sensor device 800 mayfurther include a lighting unit such as an LED lamp or a vibrator thatvibrates the user himself or herself or an implement as an output unit.

(Information Processing Device)

FIG. 16 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configurationof an information processing device according to an embodiment of thepresent disclosure. The information processing device 900 can berealized as the information processing device according to theembodiment of the present disclosure or, for example, the imaging device200 or the notification device 600 described above.

The information processing device 900 can include a CPU 901, a ROM 902,a RAM 903, a user interface 905, an external storage device 906, acommunication device 907, and an image and sound output device 908. Theconstituent elements are connected to each other via, for example, abus.

For example, the CPU 901, the ROM 902, and the RAM 903 read and executeprogram commands recorded in the external storage devices 906 so thatvarious software functions are realized. In the embodiment of thepresent disclosure, for example, the CPU 901, the ROM 902, and the RAM903 can realize control of the entire information processing device 900or some of the functions of the analyzing unit 220, the control unit230, and the notification information generating unit 650 described inthe above-described example.

The user interface 905 is an input device, such as a button or a touchpanel, which receives a user's operation on the information processingdevice 900. For example, the user interface 905 can realize the functionof the registration unit 670 described in the above example.

The external storage device 906 stores various types of informationregarding the information processing device 900. For example, theexternal storage device 906 may store program commands for causing theCPU 901, the ROM 902, and the RAM 903 to realize software functions ormay temporarily cache the sensor information received by thecommunication device 907. Further, the external storage device 906 maystore a log of the play event information or the sensor information.Furthermore, the external storage device 906 may store the notificationDB 660 described in the above example.

The image and sound output device 908 may include a device capable ofnotifying a user of acquired information visually or audibly. The imageand sound output device 908 can be a display device such as an LCD or asound output device such as a speaker or a headphone. The image andsound output device 908 outputs a result obtained through the process ofthe information processing device 900 as a graphical image such as textor an image or a sound such as a voice or an audio.

6. Supplement

It should be understood by those skilled in the art that variousmodifications, combinations, sub-combinations and alterations may occurdepending on design requirements and other factors insofar as they arewithin the scope of the appended claims or the equivalents thereof.

For example, in the above-described embodiments, the informationprocessing system including the sensor device and the informationprocessing device has been described. However, the informationprocessing system includes, for example, a server (including a devicerealized collectively as a set of the functions of a plurality ofdevices) realizing at least some of the functions of the informationprocessing device on a network, a program for causing a computer torealize the functions of the device, and a recording medium that recordsthe program.

Additionally, the present technology may also be configured as below.

(1) An information processing device including:

a sensor information acquiring unit that acquires sensor informationindicating a behavior of a user playing a sport; and

a play event information generating unit that detects occurrence of aplay event in the sport based on the sensor information and generatesplay event information corresponding to the play event.

(2) The information processing device according to (1), furtherincluding:

a notification information generating unit that generates notificationinformation for the user based on the play event information.

(3) The information processing device according to (2), wherein thenotification information is information registered in advance inassociation with the play event by the user.

(4) The information processing device according to (2) or (3), whereinthe notification information generating unit generates the notificationinformation further based on the sensor information.

(5) The information processing device according to any one of (1) to(4), further including:

an imaging control unit that controls imaging of a play image of playingthe sport based on the play event information.

(6) The information processing device according to (5), wherein theimaging control unit determines at least one of imaging start or imagingend of the play image which is a moving image based on the play eventinformation.

(7) The information processing device according to (5) or (6), whereinthe imaging control unit selects the play image imaged by each of aplurality of imaging devices based on the play event information.

(8) The information processing device according to any one of (1) to(7), further including:

an additional information setting unit that sets additional informationto a play image of playing the sport based on the play eventinformation.

(9) The information processing device according to (8), wherein theadditional information setting unit sets chapter informationcorresponding to the play event to the play image which is a movingimage.

(10) The information processing device according to any one of (1) to(9), wherein the sensor information acquiring unit is a communicationunit that receives the sensor information from an external devicemounted on the user or a sports implement used by the user.

(11) The information processing device according to (10), furtherincluding: a notification information generating unit that generatesnotification information for the user based on the play eventinformation,

wherein the communication unit transmits the notification information tothe external device.

(12) The information processing device according to any one of (1) to(11),

wherein the sensor information acquiring unit acquires the sensorinformation indicating behaviors of a plurality of users playing thesport, and

wherein the play event information generating unit includes informationused to specify a user corresponding to the play event.

(13) An information processing system including:

a sensor device including

a sensor that acquires sensor information indicating a behavior of auser playing a sport, and

a communication unit that transmits the sensor information; and

an information processing device including

a communication unit that receives the sensor information from thesensor device, and

a play event information generating unit that detects occurrence of aplay event in the sport based on the sensor information and generatesplay event information corresponding to the play event.

(14) The information processing system according to (13),

wherein the information processing device further includes anotification information generating unit that generates notificationinformation for the user based on the play event information,

wherein the communication unit of the information processing devicetransmits the notification information to the sensor device,

wherein the communication unit of the sensor device receives thenotification information from the information processing device, and

wherein the sensor device further includes an output unit that outputsthe notification information to the user and is mounted on the user or asports implement used by the user.

(15) A program for causing a computer to execute:

a function of acquiring sensor information indicating a behavior of auser playing a sport; and

a function of detecting occurrence of a play event in the sport based onthe sensor information and generating play event informationcorresponding to the play event.

(16) An information processing device including:

a control unit to generate play event information based on adetermination whether detected behavior of a user is a predeterminedplay event.

(17) The information processing device according to (16), wherein thecontrol unit controls an imaging device based on the play eventinformation.

(18) The information processing device according to (16) or (17),wherein the imaging device includes an information processing unit.

(19) The information processing device according to any one of (16) to(18) further comprising:

an imaging device.

(20) The information processing device according to any one of (16) to(19), wherein the predetermined play event includes an effective playevent and a play event that is not an effective play event.

(21) The information processing device according to any one of (16) to(20), wherein the control unit determines at least one of imaging startor imaging end of a play image which is a moving image based on the playevent information.

(22) The information processing device according to any one of (16) to(21), wherein the control unit selects a play image imaged by each of aplurality of imaging devices based on the play event information.

(23) The information processing device according to any one of (16) to(22), wherein the control unit sets additional information based on theplay event information.

(24) The information processing device according to (23), wherein theadditional information includes chapter information.

(25) The information processing device according to (23) or (24),wherein the additional information is set to a play image based on theplay event information.

(26) The information processing device according to any one of (16) to(24), wherein the control unit generates notification information forthe user based on the play event information.

(27) The information processing device according to (26), wherein thenotification information is information registered in advance inassociation with the play event by the user.

(28) The information processing device according to (26) or (27),wherein the notification information is generated based on sensorinformation indicating the behavior of the user.

(29) The information processing device according to (26), (27) or (28),wherein the control unit controls transmission of the notificationinformation to an external device.

(30) The information processing device according to any one of (16) to(29), wherein the control unit generates play event information for eachof a plurality of users based on a determination whether detectedbehavior of each of the plurality of users is a predetermined playevent.

(31) The information processing device according to (30), wherein a playevent corresponds to each of the users.

(32) The information processing device according to any one of (16) to(31), wherein the determination is based on sensor informationindicating the behavior of the user.

(33) The information processing device according to (32), wherein thesensor information is detected by a sensor device mounted on the user ora sports implement which the user uses.

(34) A system including:

a sensor device to acquire sensor information indicating behavior of auser; and

a control unit to generate play event information based on adetermination whether detected behavior of a user is a predeterminedplay event.

(35) An information processing method including:

generating, by a processor, play event information based on adetermination whether detected behavior of a user is a predeterminedplay event.

(36) A non-transitory recording medium recorded with a programexecutable by a computer, the program including:

generating play event information based on a determination whetherdetected behavior of a user is a predetermined play event.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST

-   10, 20 Information processing system-   100, 500 Sensor device-   110 Sensor-   130, 530 Communication unit-   200 Imaging device-   210 Communication unit-   220 Analyzing unit-   221 Play event information generating unit-   230 Control unit-   231 Imaging control unit-   232 Chapter setting unit-   240 Imaging unit-   300 Server-   540 Notification output unit-   541 Speaker-   542 Display device-   600 Notification device-   610 Communication unit-   650 Notification information generating unit-   660 Notification DB-   670 Registration unit

The invention claimed is:
 1. An information processing devicecomprising: a communication device configured to wirelessly receivesensor information from a sensor device; and a processor configured togenerate play event information using the sensor information, todetermine from the play event information whether a detected behavior ofa user is a predetermined play event, to control an imaging device tocapture play images based on the predetermined play event, and identifya type of play event based on the play event information and a sportassociated with a play event.
 2. The information processing device ofclaim 1, wherein the processor controls the imaging device based on theplay event information so as to not capture images associated withineffective play events, ineffective play events comprising one or moreevents that are designated as not part of the sport.
 3. The informationprocessing device of claim 2, wherein the imaging device includes aninformation processing unit.
 4. The information processing device ofclaim 1 further comprising the imaging device.
 5. The informationprocessing device of claim 1, wherein the predetermined play eventincludes an effective play event and an ineffective play event, theeffective play event comprising an event that is designated as part ofthe sport and the ineffective play event comprising an event that isdesignated as not part of the sport.
 6. The information processingdevice of claim 1, wherein the processor determines at least one ofimaging start or imaging end of a play image which is a moving imagebased on the play event information.
 7. The information processingdevice of claim 1, wherein the processor selects a play image imaged byeach of a plurality of imaging devices based on the play eventinformation.
 8. The information processing device of claim 1, whereinthe processor generates notification information for the user based onthe play event information.
 9. The information processing device ofclaim 8, wherein the notification information is information registeredin association with the predetermined play event by the user.
 10. Theinformation processing device of claim 8, wherein the notificationinformation is generated based on the sensor information indicating thedetected behavior of the user.
 11. The information processing device ofclaim 8, wherein the processor controls transmission of the notificationinformation to an external device.
 12. The information processing deviceof claim 1, wherein the processor generates play event information foreach of a plurality of users based on a determination whether detectedbehavior of each of the plurality of users is the predetermined playevent.
 13. The information processing device of claim 12, wherein arespective play event corresponds to each of the users.
 14. Theinformation processing device of claim 1, wherein the sensor device ismounted on the user or a sports implement which the user uses.
 15. Theinformation processing device of claim 1, wherein the predetermined playevent includes an effective play event and the processor is furtherconfigured to exclude one or more ineffective play events from imagesassociated with the predetermined play event, the effective play eventcomprising an event that is designated as part of the sport and the oneor more ineffective play events comprising one or more events that aredesignated as not part of the sport.
 16. A system comprising: a sensordevice to acquire sensor information indicating behavior of a user andto wirelessly transmit the sensor information; a communication device towirelessly receive the sensor information transmitted by the sensordevice; a camera that captures images of the user; and a processorconfigured to generate play event information based on the sensorinformation received by the communication device and to identify a typeof play event based on the play event information and a sport associatedwith a play event, in which the processor is configured to controlcapturing of play images by the camera in a time interval of apredetermined play event and based on the generated play eventinformation to exclude one or more play events.
 17. The system of claim16, wherein the processor is configured to distinguish an effective playevent from an ineffective play event based on the play event informationand to control the images captured by the camera to exclude one or moreineffective play events, the effective play event comprising an eventthat is designated as part of the sport and the one or more ineffectiveplay events comprising one or more events that are designated as notpart of the sport.
 18. An information processing method comprising:wirelessly receiving sensor information from a sensor device configuredto detect movement associated with a user; generating, by a processor,play event information based on the sensor information; determiningwhether a detected user movement is a predetermined play event based onthe play event information; identifying a type of play event based onthe play event information and a sport associated with a play event; andcontrolling an imaging device to capture play images based on thepredetermined play event.
 19. The method of claim 18, furthercomprising: determining whether a detected user movement is thepredetermined play event based on the play event information, analyzingthe play event information to distinguish between different types ofplay events and to exclude one or more ineffective play events fromimages associated with the predetermined play event, the one or moreineffective play events comprising one or more events that aredesignated as not part of the sport.
 20. A non-transitory recordingmedium recorded with a program executable by a computer, the programcomprising: enabling sensor information from a sensor device to bewirelessly received; generating play event information based on thesensor information received by a communication device to determinewhether detected behavior of a user is a predetermined play event;identifying a type of play event based on the play event information anda sport associated with a play event; and controlling an imaging deviceto capture play images based on the predetermined play event.
 21. Thenon-transitory recording medium of claim 20, further comprising:analyzing the play event information to distinguish between differenttypes of play events; and analyzing the play event information todistinguish an effective play event from an ineffective play event basedon the play event information, the effective play event comprising anevent that is designated as part of the sport and the ineffective playevent comprising an event that is designated as not part of the sport.